SEAGOVILLE, Texas (BP) — In 2021, Trinity Love Church (TLC) and Robinwood Baptist Church were two congregations with desires for active ministry, but facing different issues. Trinity Love needed space while Robinwood had enough to spare. The way both found an answer spoke to the respective leadership as well as the role of the local association.

Bob Dean, then the associational mission strategist for Dallas Baptist Association (DBA), reached out to Trinity Love Pastor Larry Brice on the opportunities presented through a partnership with Robinwood, led by Pastor John Grossdale.

Trinity Love was founded in 2015 as Eastgate Fellowship International. Robinwood was founded in 1953 and remained a primarily Anglo congregation in a neighborhood that grew in diversity, eventually adding a Hispanic congregation in the building.

After Dean reached out to Brice, both churches agreed to meet in the same space at different times, halving the costs of the property. When Grossdale accepted another pastorate in 2023, Brice preached services for both churches.

Over time it became apparent that both congregations had the same pastor, though Brice crafted different messages for each service. A merger became the next obvious step and took place on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, during a “merging celebration” that included the theme “We Are Better Together.”

“We hope to be a model of Heaven on Earth,” said Brice. “When you come and see us worship, you see a congregation of different faces but all with the same love for Jesus Christ. We don’t see color here. We bond together and work together in everything.

“… We see God in all of this. He orchestrated this.”

When both churches agreed to split the financial responsibilities of the property, the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation helped Trinity Love Church secure a loan. Robinwood also had different options for ministry, Brice told his church, but wanted to partner with the younger congregation.

An 800-seat sanctuary came with a full-court gym, educational wing and 50-seat chapel that serves as the home of Trinity Love Español, led by Pastor Omar Ruano.

JJ Washington, director of personal evangelism for the North American Mission Board (NAMB), met Brice as the pastor participated in a training session for Crossover Dallas, an evangelistic outreach leading up to next month’s Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting there.

“This is a very unique revitalization story with two different races coming together under the banner of Jesus for the sake of the gospel,” said Washington.

“Larry is a great brother in Christ who I’ve gotten to know through his participation in the (Southern Baptists of Texas Convention) SBTC Black Church Network,” said Tony Matthews, senior strategist for missional ministries for the SBTC.

“The story of Trinity Love Church and Robinwood is more than a merger,” said DBA associational missions strategist Ryan Jespersen. “It’s a partnership over a long time that ended as a merger.”

Trinity Love is far from the only example of churches in the DBA finding new life in this way.

When Pat Brown prepared to retire as pastor of Northlake Baptist Church, he wanted to ensure the building would remain active for ministry. Yingsong Kaping had been serving as pastor of a small house church birthed out of Northlake. Conversations led to work through the DBA and its Next Steps team that brought about the formation of ONE Church.

The name comes from John 17:20-23, explained Kaping.

“[It is] the apologetic of actually becoming perfectly one in our unity as [Jesus] is one with the Father [to] show an unbelieving world that His love is real,” he said.

Brice has leaned into the alliteration that Trinity Love Church provides TLC for the community, and it takes everyone to do it.

“We have people working together in the nursery, children’s church, leadership — engrafting leaders from Robinwood into Trinity Love,” said Brice. “We have some worship style differences, some cultural differences, but if you were to ask those from Trinity Love and Robinwood, they would say they love it.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.)